Breaking
by Writer-at-Heart0
Summary: One year has passed since the defeat of Gaea, and Percy was beginning to see the good returning to his life. He was going to New Rome, he was home at Camp Half-Blood, and he had Annabeth. Things were beginning to look up...until it all spiraled out of control. An accident has Sally Jackson in the hospital fighting for her life, but there seems to be a more sinister intention.
1. Chapter 1

Breaking

By: Writer-at-Heart01

 **Percy**

Percy sat with Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Frank, and Hazel at Camp Half-Blood. They were at the campfire, singing along to silly songs and laughing together. It had been almost one year after the defeat of Gaea and it had been a hard one. They had searched for Leo, determined to find their missing companion, yet they still had not found him.

Annabeth and Percy were still working through Tartarus, which was becoming less of a burden as more time passed. Percy hoped that when he and Annabeth moved to New Rome for college that it would be completely better, but he couldn't deny that he would always be haunted by the dark place. He shuddered as a chill ran down his spine—no, he would definitely still be haunted by Tartarus, but he had Annabeth. That's all he needed.

Percy scanned the amphitheater and saw Nico sitting next to Will Solace, rolling his eyes as the son of Apollo desperately tried to get Nico to sing along. Percy wouldn't lie and say he hadn't been shocked that Nico had had a crush on him. He also wouldn't lie about how confused he was about not being Nico's type. But Percy was definitely happy to know his younger cousin was happy and enjoying life again.

Percy felt that everything was going well: camp was starting, Gaea had stayed gone, and he had his friends. Percy looked over his friends, playful throwing marshmallows at each other, and smiled. Life was good. Nothing could ruin this moment for him.

Until something did ruin the moment for him.

An Iris Message began appearing in the middle of the amphitheater. It was hazy and hard to make out. For a split second, Percy thought it was Leo finally contacting them to let everyone know he was safe, but that was crushed when Paul Blofis's face materialized.

Percy noticed a few scratches on Paul's face and his disheveled hair. Paul's eyes held a panicked look to them as he scanned the theater frantically looking for someone. Finally, Paul's eyes rested on Percy's and instantly Percy's stomach dropped. Something had happened, Percy was sure of it.

He stood up and approached the Iris Message quickly, maneuvering his way down the steps. He'd barely stopped moving when he asked, "What happened?"

Paul sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "Your mom and I were driving out to Montauk when something slammed into the car. We spun a few times, I think and then were rammed again. I don't know what it was or what happened—I blacked out for a bit. The next time I woke up, I was in the hospital."

Percy's heart stopped. _What about my mom?_

"Percy, she's in surgery. She's critical, they don't…" Percy must have asked his question aloud and now it felt like his world was ending. Percy felt a pull in his gut and was vaguely aware of the ocean crashing against the shore more harshly.

"Where?"

"St. Joseph's on Long Island."

Percy didn't wait a second more before turning and bolting from the amphitheater. He heard his friends jumping up to follow and he thought he heard Chiron calling him to wait.

But Percy couldn't wait.

His mother may be dying, and here he was taking life for granted and enjoying the evening with his friends. He should have known better than to think tomorrow was guaranteed. Percy sucked in a breath and kept running. He was making his way down Half-Blood Hill when he felt someone grab his hand.

He stopped short and turned to see Annabeth staring at him with concerned eyes. His other friends were gathering around them, but he didn't break his gaze with Annabeth. He could see the thin film of tears coating her eyes, the slight tremble in her lip. She was as worried about Sally as he was, and he had run off without her. Percy felt his heart being strangled in his chest and it must have shown on his face because he felt hands on his shoulders and another hand slip into his.

Percy tried to stay strong, to not give in, but the son of Poseidon couldn't help himself. Tears began to fill his eyes and he ducked his head and took a shaky breath before exhaling in a soft sob. Percy felt Annabeth hug him and felt her tears on his shoulder. He felt his friends enveloping him.

Percy Jackson was afraid his mom was going to leave him, and he felt like drowning. Drowning in his tears, drowning in his fears. He couldn't handle the idea of his mom being gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Frank**

Frank was driving the camp van, headed down the winding Long Island roads. He didn't quite know where he was going since he wasn't familiar with the area, but Percy would quietly mention places to turn. Frank flicked his eyes to the rearview mirror and looked at his best friend. Percy was leaning his head on the window, looking out at the vast darkness rolling by. His hands held Annabeth's hands, and every now and then she would lean over and kiss Percy's cheek. Percy looked slightly pale and his eyes were bloodshot from his tears.

Frank sighed and continued driving. He understood how Percy felt on some level; he had lost his mom in Afghanistan just a little over a year ago, and it still hurt. He couldn't imagine the feeling of knowing that his mom was lying there, on the brink of life or death. In a way, he pitied Percy. Percy was in a state of not knowing, whereas Frank had known the moment the military officers appeared at his door.

Frank sighed once again and thought about his mom. He could see her kind face and her warm brown eyes. He remembered the hugs she would give him and the way she would poke his tummy when talking about his ancestors. He wondered what she would think of him now, no longer a stocky boy, but a well built, confident man.

 _I'm always proud of you Frank._

Frank thought he'd made that up, but he definitely heard something…and that something sounded like his mom's voice. Frank tightened his grip on the steering wheel, trying to keep calm. He hadn't heard that voice in years, yet he knew it was her.

Frank prayed quickly to his father, _Tell Mom I love her. And Apollo, please try to save Percy's mom._

Frank looked to his right and saw Hazel staring out the front windshield, a few tears on her cheeks. Frank reached a hand out to her. She had also lost her mom, but unlike Percy and Frank, Hazel had died alongside her mother. He squeezed her hand, and Hazel looked over at Frank. A soft, sad smile graced her features and she squeezed back. "I'm okay," her eyes seemed to say, and Frank smiled softly back at her.

Soon, Frank noticed the other demigods falling asleep. First Piper and Annabeth, then Hazel. Jason was trying to fight it, but he lost and soon was holding Piper in his arms as he snoozed. Only Percy, Frank, and Nico, who had insisted on tagging along, were awake. Finally, Nico spoke softly.

"She's still alive Percy. I can feel her." Nico was being genuine and honest, not willing to lie to Percy. "We'll make it, and she'll be okay."

Frank looked in the rearview mirror to see Percy's face. He seemed to have relaxed a little bit, but there was still a stiff tension in the son of Poseidon's shoulders. Frank could tell he was coiled like a snake, ready to strike should anything happen.

"Sleep Percy. We're almost there right?" Frank waited for a response.

"It should be on the left in about thirty miles." Percy said tiredly. "But I'm not sleeping until I see her myself."

Frank locked eyes with Nico, who was thinking the same thing: Percy needed sleep. A silent plan formed and Frank engaged Percy in conversation.

"Percy, you need to try to sleep. It's not going to be good for you to be all wound up, especially in public. You don't want to explode the bathrooms or cause a hurricane." Frank watched Nico quietly wake Piper and fill her in on the plan. "Come on, just for a few minutes at least."

Percy opened his mouth to protest, but Piper broke in. " _Sleep_."

Percy instantly leaned into the window, his eyes drooping shut. Frank thought he heard Percy mumble something about "not okay" but Frank was too busy fighting Piper's charmspeak. She and Nico went to sleep, leaving Frank to drive into the night. He couldn't stop thinking about how he felt when he lost his mom, and what was going to happen to Percy if his mom didn't pull through.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hazel**

When Hazel woke up, Frank was pulling into a parking lot. A large building was illuminated in the darkness of the night. For a moment, Hazel almost forgot where she was and then she remembered. Percy's mom and stepdad had been in a terrible accident. They had rushed off to the hospital to check on her.

Hazel quickly rubbed her eyes and looked into the back seat. Everyone was starting to wake up except for Percy. Hazel looked at the others and Piper mouthed 'charmspeak' which helped Hazel understand the Son of Poseidon's deep slumber. She turned back around and looked at Frank. He looked tired after having driven the whole way to the hospital, but he also looked deeply pained. Hazel could relate. She, like Frank, had lost her mother. She didn't want Percy to feel the pain she was reliving at this moment, and she guessed Frank didn't either.

"Whereareewe?" A slurred moan sounded from the backseat as Frank parked the camp van in a parking spot. Hazel turned to see Percy rubbing his eyes and swiping a bit of drool off of his chin.

Frank turned the van off and unbuckled his seat belt. "Just parked. We're here."

Hazel was still watching Percy and she saw him sigh deeply, a look of fear entering his eyes, and he looked anxiously at the door on the other side of Annabeth, desperately wanting to run to his mother but also desperately wanting to wake up from this nightmare.

"Come on, we need to go talk to Paul." Nico said from Annabeth's shoulder. "We need to know her condition."

That spurred everyone into motion. Hazel and Frank opened their doors as Annabeth popped open the sliding door. Everyone piled out and soon everyone was making their way towards the ER entrance. Hazel ended up walking next to Nico. She wanted to ask him about Sally since he had a better connection to the sphere of the dead than she did. She looked at Nico and he knew what she was asking. Pain filled his eyes and he shook his head almost imperceptibly. Hazel turned away from her brother and looked ahead, her heart heavy.

When Hazel and the rest stepped into the ER, they saw Paul pacing the room. He'd had a bandage added to his hand and his cuts cleaned up since the Iris Message. He looked up and saw Percy and practically sprinted for the boy. Paul engulfed Percy in a hug and Hazel thought she saw his shoulders shake a little. Then Paul released Percy and hugged Annabeth tightly. Annabeth tried to withhold her tears, but a few leaked out; she smiled sadly at Paul when he pulled away from the hug. Paul looked at the group and saw Nico. He opened his arms and Nico willingly stepped into them. Paul released Nico and smiled at the rest of the group.

"Paul, how is she?" Percy's ADHD was kicking in, he was hopping foot to foot. His eyes were scanning the room fervently and he was tapping his fingers rapidly.

Hazel studied Paul's face, looking for any hint that would support Nico's claim. He was stoic as he ran a hand through his hair, sighing tiredly. "Still in surgery. Waiting to hear back, but nothing yet."

The response was short and staccato, like Paul was annoyed with the little information he had to relay. Percy had stopped hopping from foot to foot and was tapping his leg. He was looking towards the door that led back into the hospital, analyzing it like he wanted to go in. Hazel could see his distress, and Paul's, and she did not want to think about the son of Poseidon's reaction if something went wrong.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Piper soothed, her voice woven with the barest traces of charmspeak, "the doctors are doing their absolute best."

Hazel watched Paul smile slightly and nod, and Percy's shoulders became slightly less tense.

"Is there anything we can do? Have you had anything to eat Mr. Blofis?" Jason asked from behind Piper.

Paul shook his head. "I'm not very hungry, but thank you. As for if there's anything you can do, I actually have some questions for you kids."

The way Paul said, "you kids," she could tell his questions had to do with her world—the demigod world. At that sentence, Paul took up a seat in the far corner, away from the mortals awaiting to go back, and with the demigods sitting or standing around him. Paul looked behind the circle of demigods before jumping into the story of what happened during the car accident.

"Sally and I left to go to Montauk and had just made it out to the edge of the island. We were approaching the cabin when a large dark shape sprinted from the side of the road and rammed into the passenger side of the car. We spun around a few times before the thing hit the car again, causing it to flip two or three times. Sally was unconscious by this point, and I was trying to find a way out, when I saw the shape barreling towards us. It was large, and I thought for sure it would pick up the car and through us for good measure, but then a silver sliver hit the thing and it stopped, before more silver slivers imbedded themselves in the creature. It was then that I blacked out and woke up here."

Hazel didn't like the sound of the wreck, but she also did not like the idea that the thing that had attacked Sally and Paul was a monster. And the silver slivers were most likely silver arrows, which meant-

"The Hunters of Artemis saved you, and they didn't even think to see if you were okay?" Percy didn't shout, or yell, but the hard edge to his voice and the dark look in his eyes reminded Hazel that there were two sides to Poseidon, and right now Percy exemplified the darker side. "They could have at least checked! And Thalia knows what Mom looks like, she would have been able to call us earlier, I could have-"

Jason stepped in, which Hazel though was a dangerous decision on his part, but she watched the exchange. "Hey, Perce, come on, breathe. We wouldn't have been able to prevent anything, it's over. We just need to wait and say some haikus for Apollo. Why don't you and I go call Thalia, gather some information on the monster?"

Hazel watched Percy stare Jason down, and Hazel noticed that the others were tense as well. The atmosphere was super charged with Jason's electricity and Percy's swirling emotions. She was afraid Jason would push Percy the wrong way. But finally, Jason won the battle as Percy's shoulders slumped. He looked defeated, and ashamed.

Percy heaved a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "Alright, we'll be back guys. We'll call the Hunters and see what's up. Annabeth, if they come out at any time with information about Mom…"

Annabeth smiled and nodded. "I'll come get you. Now go find out what happened."

With that, Jason led Percy back towards the ER doors. Hazel watched the two leave and felt a darkness settle over the group. She looked at Paul and saw the sad look in his eyes. Hazel knew it was going to be a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Jason**

Jason walked silently with Percy out to the parking lot. Jason didn't have a solid plan in place for how they were going to create an Iris Message since it was still dark outside, but he wanted to get Percy some fresh air. Jason knew that Percy tried to keep a tight leash on his powers, as well as his emotions, but Jason was starting to see that when it came to his mother, Percy lost all control. Jason was sort of jealous that Percy had such a loving mother, someone he could turn to for anything, but Jason was also feeling deep sadness for the position Percy was in.

Jason had never really known his mother, and when he did learn about her, she had died in a car crash caused by her drinking. He was almost ashamed of her; she had never raised Jason, it was always Thalia who took care of him. But Jason would never have wished her dead; he still wished he could have at least met her.

Jason stole a glance at Percy as they continued walking. He was still slightly angry, Jason could see it in Percy's eyes. He was tense and Jason knew to tread lightly. While Jason and Percy had gotten over the son of Jupiter vs. son of Poseidon issue last year, they'd become really good friends, and close cousins. But Jason also knew that sometimes they disagreed, to a much lesser extent than Percy and Thalia, but it was still making Jason nervous to imagine setting Percy off right now.

"Think we can use that street lamp to create the Iris Message? It's far enough away that mortals shouldn't walk by and see it." Jason pointed to a lone street lamp at the edge of the parking lot. Percy shrugged indifferently, and Jason led the way.

When they stood beneath the dim, yellow glow, Percy closed his eyes and moments later a thin stream of water met the light. Percy continued to manipulate it until a fine mist appeared, creating a small rainbow. Percy pulled a drachma out of his pocket and tossed it through the mist. "O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. Show me Thalia Grace."

Jason watched as silver tents surrounding a small camp fire appeared in the message. Girls of various ages, all dressed in silver shirts and black shorts, meandered around camp, tending to white wolves and beautiful falcons. The Iris Message zoomed in on one girl in particular. She was dressed like all the other girls, but her short, spiky hair which adorned a silver circlet set her apart from the others. She was deep in discussion with another girl, but Percy didn't seem to care.

"Thalia!" Percy called into the Iris Message. Both girls turned towards the message, and the dark haired girl smiled sadly.

"Excuse me, Erica, I need to take this." Thalia said politely, and she approached the Iris Message. "Hey little brother, hey Percy."

Jason smiled at Thalia, but cringed the next second when he felt a minor earthquake come from Percy, who was glaring angrily at Thalia.

Percy met Thalia's eyes. "Any good hunting Thalia? Perhaps something that crashed into a car out on Long Island?"

Thalia sighed tiredly, and ran her hand down her face. "Percy, I'm really sorry. I didn't know that your mom and step-dad were in that car. I thought it was regular mortals, so we called 911 to come and help them."

Jason shook his head furiously at Thalia. That was the wrong thing to say. Jason decided to step in at Percy's outraged expression. "Look Thalia, we're not here to accuse you of anything." Jason shot Percy a stern look, telling him to stay quiet. "We need information on the monster that attacked them. It may help us connect the dots and help Sally."

Thalia looked between Percy and Jason for a long while. She looked deeply pained, and also a sliver of fear settled into her electric blue eyes. "Percy, please make sure you control your temper. You don't want to set off an earthquake while they're trying to save your mom, okay?"

Jason frowned. Why would Thalia need to remind Percy that? His earthquake earlier was confined to just a few feet, he should be alright now. Jason looked at Percy and found that he too looked confused, which was welcome relief to Jason. He was getting tired of seeing angry Percy and sad Percy.

"Okay…I can do that." Percy said slowly, obviously thrown for a loop. "But why are you prefacing with that?"

Thalia chuckled slightly. "I see you've been spending time with Annabeth. 'Prefacing' is not a word you usually use, Kelp Head."

"Pinecone Face," Percy teased back lightly. He sobered up quickly, "But what monster was it Thalia?"

Jason felt like the three of them sat in silence for hours. Thalia was extremely reluctant to tell Percy what had attacked his mom. Then finally, Thalia spoke.

"It was the Minotaur."

Jason didn't see what the big deal was. The Minotaur was a tough mythological creature, but he wasn't completely sure why Percy would need to remember to be calm about it.

"We killed him, sent him back to the Underworld. But we don't know why he was in the area. There were no demigods for him to track, and I've never seen monsters attack cars before." Thalia looked deeply pained. "I tried contacting Artemis, but she didn't respond, which is not like her. Maybe you two should try contacting some of the other Olympians."

Jason was still confused, but one look at Percy, and he knew that Percy had no more to say on the matter. "Alright, thanks Thalia. We'll let you know how Sally is once we hear from the doctors. Love you."

"Love you little brother." With one last sad smile, Thalia swiped through the Iris Message. Jason looked at Percy's distress and didn't know what to do. He reached a hand out cautiously and gripped Percy's shoulder.

Jason sighed quietly. "I know that you aren't okay, and that you're bothered and upset. But we need to go back in there and tell the others. Based on what Thalia said, this doesn't seem random. Annabeth and Frank are our war strategists, they may be able to think of some reasoning for why this happened."

Percy didn't move for awhile before he met Jason's eyes. "Someone intentionally sent the Minotaur after my mom to get to _me._ I've defeated the Minotaur twice: once when I was 12, and again when I was 15. This is not random, and when I find out who did it, it's not going to be pretty."

As Percy spoke, his tone got darker and his eyes looked menacing. Jason could understand why he would be so upset, but Percy looked downright scary. Jason did the one thing he thought would remind Percy to relax- he hugged him. Jason didn't feel awkward, he felt good for trying to help his cousin. It took a second before Percy hugged him back tightly.

"Why did it have to be her?" Percy said quietly, still hugging Jason. "She hasn't done anything to anyone, and her life has finally started looking bright, and this happens. Why?"

Jason didn't release Percy, but he looked up at the stars, hoping some Olympian was watching them and trying to find a way to help. "I don't know man, but we're here for you, and Paul, and your mom. We'll do everything we can to help you guys."

With that, the two boys let go of each other, and walked back towards the ER, praying to all the Olympians that Sally would pull through the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Nico**

Nico sat next to Hazel in the waiting room, watching people coming in and out of the doors that led deeper into the hospital. He could still feel Sally Jackson's life, she was hanging on, but Nico had a bad feeling that something was going to go wrong.

While Nico no longer had a crush on Percy, he was still his friend and cousin. He also loved Miss Jackson; she treated Nico like a second son. Nico didn't want to think about what would happen if she died. Percy would lose it, that's for sure. Nico didn't know how they would all handle Percy breaking down like that.

Nico was so consumed by his own thoughts he almost missed Percy and Jason returning from their Iris Message. He looked intently at Percy and Jason, waiting for one of them to offer up what Thalia had said.

Annabeth asked them first. "What did Thalia say?"

Percy plopped down into the chair next to Annabeth. "The Minotaur rammed the car."

Annabeth gasped softly, taking Percy's hand. Nico also felt a jolt. The Minotaur and Percy had some history between them, and it was not good that this happened to be the monster to attack Miss Jackson.

Paul seemed the most confused. "The half-bull, half-man creature?"

Jason nodded and claimed a seat between Piper and Frank. "Yeah, and from what Thalia was saying, monsters don't normally go attacking mortals."

Nico knew instantly the implication of Jason's words. Someone had sent the Minotaur after Sally and Paul. Nico was instantly filled with rage. How could someone go after Sally? She was a kind person, who did nothing to any of the gods and most certainly did not deserve this. Nico knew what it was like to have someone kill his mother just because she was the mother of a demigod, and Nico thought by now the gods would have learned their lesson.

Annabeth's sharp words met Nico's ears. "Someone did this on purpose; they sent the Minotaur after your mom and Paul to get to you."

Jason and Percy nodded. "We agree, but we don't know who would do that. Thalia suggested we start contacting the other gods, but Thalia couldn't get a hold of Artemis, so I bet we won't have much luck."

Nico was about to comment, but at that moment a doctor in slightly bloody scrubs came out and called for Paul. The demigods all jumped up and followed Paul to the doctor.

The doctor looked at the various demigods, slightly confused. "Mr. Blofis, are all of these your children? I really need to just speak to you."

Percy pushed in front of Annabeth. "I'm her son. Anything you tell Paul, you can tell me too. Right, Paul?"

"Right." Paul nodded and looked at the doctor. "And same goes for them."

The doctor sighed. "Legally, I can only tell immediate family. If you two could step over here with me."

Nico and the others returned to their seats, eyes trained on Percy and Paul. Nico watched as the doctor delivered the news, and Paul and Percy did not look happy. Nico reached out with his powers and felt for Sally Jackson. She was weak, her soul was barely holding on to her body. Nico felt a deep pang of sadness enter his heart. He knew in that moment that she would not make it.

In that next instance, Nico saw Percy push past the doctor and run through the doors into the hospital. Paul watched him go sadly, the doctor shaking his head. The doctor placed a hand on Paul's shoulder before retreating to go clean himself up and begin trying to save another life.

Paul walked over to the other demigods, and he looked them all in the eyes. "Sally came in with severe head trauma and vast amounts of internal bleeding. They worked as fast as they could to alleviate the swelling in her brain, but the internal bleeding was shutting down organs, and—"

Paul choked on his words and tears spilled over his eyes. Nico watched as the other demigods started to tear up too. "They're only allowing me and Percy back to see her. If any of you want me to tell her anything, I will."

Nico looked over at Annabeth, who was wide eyed with shock, tears leaking from her eyes without her knowing. She looked at Nico and shook her head softly.

"Tell her we love her, Mr. Blofis." Nico said softly.

With that, Paul pushed through the double doors, leaving the six demigods alone in the waiting room. They looked at each other, trying to find solace in the fact that they all had each other.

"What are we going to do about Percy?" Piper asked quietly, rubbing her eyes once more. "He's going to lose control, his emotions are sky high."

Annabeth sucked in a breath, trying to steady herself. She looked at Nico, asking if Sally was still alive. Nico could feel her fading slowly. He decided to speak up.

"I can feel her fading," Nico's voice was soft and frail. "She doesn't have long. The best we can do for Percy is remind him that we're here for him. He's not going to take it easily though, especially since someone did this intentionally."

Everyone's face fell and they remained in silence. Annabeth got up and started pacing in front of the other demigods, waiting for what, Nico didn't know. She looked like she was deep in thought, and Nico didn't want to disturb her. But then he felt it. Nico gasped audibly, and Annabeth froze mid step, and the others turned to look at him with expectant eyes.

Sally Jackson had died.


	6. Chapter 6

**Annabeth**

Annabeth didn't know what to expect when she watched Percy walk through the doors. But she didn't expect her boyfriend and best friend, one of the strongest people she has ever known, to walk straight into her arms and cry. He didn't make a sound, but he just cried and cried.

Annabeth forced herself to hold back her tears; she would be strong for him, just as he had been when they'd fallen into Tartarus. She would not break down when he needed her most. She looked over his shoulder at the others, making eye contact with each and every one of them. She communicated that they were leaving now, and she began by leading Percy out of the ER waiting room.

Annabeth walked Percy, who was still crying, to the camp van. She watched as he slid down to the concrete and continued to cry, his head cradled in his arms. Annabeth felt like breaking down, but right now, she needed to help Percy by being strong. Her friends were now looking to her to help fix this situation.

"We need to take Paul back to the city. And we should also probably stay there for a few nights. Until Sally's funeral. Jason, will you go get Paul so we can head out?"

Jason nodded and left, while the others still watched Annabeth expectantly. She looked down at Percy, who by now was starting to calm back down, his tears beginning to stop. Annabeth sat down next to Percy and hugged him.

Hazel and Piper then followed Annabeth's move, and sat on the other side of Percy, and hugged him. Frank and Nico watched on in sadness. Annabeth could see they both were thinking about their own mothers. Likewise, Hazel was looking at Percy not with pity, but with understanding. Annabeth realized that she feared not being able to help Percy through this because she did not know the feeling of losing a parent. But she didn't let that cloud her thoughts just yet.

"She told me she loved you guys." Annabeth looked at Percy, who was looking around at his friends. "She said you were all like her children, and she's really proud of you."

Annabeth felt a sob rising in her throat, but she bit it back, and ran her hand through Percy's hair. "She was proud of you too, Seaweed Brain. You have no idea how much she loved you."

Paul and Jason had returned and Paul added his own two cents. "She really did love you Percy. Not day went by that she wasn't talking about you. You made her proud, I can promise you that."

Percy nodded numbly, tears again spilling silently from his eyes. Annabeth's heart ached as she watched Percy feel so much pain and sadness. She finally decided it was time to move, to go back to New York City, so that the funeral could be planned, and maybe peace could return. Annabeth pulled herself up, and then helped Hazel and Piper up. Next was Percy. He looked at Annabeth with broken eyes, like a part of himself had also died with his mother. Annabeth stuck out a hand to Percy, who grabbed it and rose to his feet.

"Jason, do you mind driving?" Annabeth asked quietly.

Jason nodded. "I can drive."

"Mr. Blofis, you should ride up front, we don't want you to further injure yourself." Piper smiled politely at Paul. He climbed into the van as Jason walked around to the driver's side.

Annabeth opened her mouth to give more instructions, when Frank beat her to it. "The rest of us can squish in the back, you and Percy take the middle row."

Annabeth smiled gratefully at Frank and the rest of the demigods piled into the van. Annabeth let Percy lay his head in her lap and stretch out across most of the seat. He gripped her left hand tightly in his, and she ran her hand through his unruly hair. She could feel tears sliding across her legs, but she didn't care. Percy needed this, and she was going to be by his side the entire time.

The ride into the city was quiet and uneventful. Percy fell asleep minutes into the ride, and so did Paul. Annabeth could feel the sadness permeated the air, and she could feel her own sorrow starting to overwhelm her. She chanced a glance at Percy and made sure he was truly asleep before her own tears surfaced.

Annabeth tried to stay quiet, but a quiet sob escaped her lips, and immediately she felt a hand on her shoulder, and Piper whispering comforting words. Annabeth didn't care in that moment how vulnerable she was, all that mattered was that her second mother was gone, and she didn't know how she would help Percy work through it.

Annabeth tried to stop crying, to push her feelings aside before she woke Percy or Paul up, but Percy must have sensed her despair. He woke up slowly and rubbed his eyes before immediately sitting up and pulling Annabeth into a hug. She breathed in his salty scent, and listened to his heartbeat against his chest. She couldn't help but think that Sally had done this to Percy when he was young. That she had held a scared, or upset Percy to her chest to hear her heartbeat, to remind him that he would always have his mother.

Annabeth didn't remember Jason pulling up to the apartment complex, but as soon as they did, she sobered up. She had cried, and felt the pain of Sally's loss. Annabeth knew she had time to grieve, but right now it was time to lead the march forward.

The group of demigods followed Paul up to the Blofis apartment, and lightly stepped inside behind him. The apartment was tidy and smelled of freshly baked cookies. A smile came across Annabeth's face. Sally loved to bake, and the apartment never failed to remind Annabeth of that. But just as quickly, the smiled faded. Sally would never bake in the apartment again.

"We have one guest room and the living room. I'm sorry that we don't have any air mattresses or-" Nico surprisingly was the one to cut Paul off.

"No need to worry, sir. We'll be fine sleeping in the living room, don't worry about us. You should go get some sleep, we'll handle sleeping arrangements." Nico gave Paul the smallest of smiles, and Paul smiled back.

Paul came forward and hugged each of the demigods. "Thanks kids. Let me know if you need anything. Percy, can you help them get settled?" At Percy's silent nod, Paul hugged him once more. Annabeth heard Paul whisper to Percy, "She'll always be with you."

At that, Paul turned and walked down the short hallway to his bedroom. His door closed softly, and the demigods began making plans.

"The girls should take the guest room, there's less of you and that will give you a bed. The guys can take the living room. Percy, obviously you can have your room." Jason said quietly, with everyone nodding silently.

Percy didn't respond, he simply walked down the hallway to a small closet and started pulling out blankets and pillows. He walked back to the living room and set the bedding on the couch. "The couch pulls out into a bed. Here are sheets, pillows, and blankets. Bathroom is down the hall, first door on the left. My room is the first door on the right. Second door on the right is the guest room."

Annabeth's heart ached at how devoid of emotion Percy's voice was. After explaining all that to his friends, he started down the hallway and disappeared into his room. Annabeth sighed and looked at her friends. They all looked the same way Annabeth felt. Percy was not acting himself, and it was painful to watch.

"He'll be okay Annabeth. He needs time to heal." Piper smiled kindly. "Why don't you go stay with him? I don't think he'll sleep without you."

Annabeth nodded. "Thanks guys. I'll see you in the morning." Annabeth turned and made her way down to Percy's room. She knocked gently once, and then opened the door.

She saw Percy sitting on his bed, holding a picture in his hand. Annabeth came over and sat beside him and saw the picture. It was of him and his mom when he graduated, just a few short weeks ago. They both looked so happy and proud, smiling in the sunlight.


	7. Chapter 7

**Piper**

Piper flipped another perfect pancake onto a plate and set to working on another one. Her hands moved automatically and she felt as if she was in an out-of-body experience.

It had been two days since the demigods had rushed off into the night to the hospital where Sally Jackson was being cared for. Funeral arrangements had been made quickly, and it was not a hard process considering Sally's family extended almost solely to the people occupying her apartment now.

It was the morning of her funeral, and Piper took it upon herself to make breakfast. She had tidied up the bathroom, living room, and guest room. Paul and Percy were still asleep, but the demigods had risen early to take care of everything. Annabeth and Nico had gone to check on the service and the gravesite, while Jason and Frank were cleaning up a few more things in the house. Hazel had gone to find appropriate clothes for the demigods who hadn't brought anything with them. Aphrodite had appeared to Piper that morning and assured Piper that she would help Hazel.

Piper sighed and she flipped another pancake to the plate. She felt terrible, her heart felt like it was in a constant ache. She believed it to be because of her Aphrodite roots. She felt love of all sorts very deeply—romantic, sibling, and parental. The love that Sally and Percy shared was something Piper had never felt before. She never felt as close to her father as Percy was to his mother. It killed her to see Percy so sad and mopey, but she knew that he needed to grieve and feel in his own way.

"Can you make some of those blue?" Piper jumped a half a foot in the air and whipped around with her spatula, ready to take off Percy's head. He jumped back in surprise, still in his Finding Nemo pajama pants and held up his hands. "Whoa, sorry, I thought you heard me come in."

Piper breathed in deeply and chuckled softly. "Sorry, I guess I didn't hear you. But yes, I can definitely make some of these blue. Do you have food dye?"

Percy walked to Piper's left and opened one of the overhead cabinets and pulled out a massive container of blue food dye. "Mom always was prepared to make my food blue. Our old running joke since I was eight."

Piper smiled, glad to hear Percy finally speaking about his mom. The past two days he had hardly spoken period, and now he was talking about his mom, which made Piper hopeful. She figured that now maybe, he would be okay. "Well, we all know how much you like blue things. Why would food stop that love?"

Percy grinned at Piper, almost make her feel like nothing had happened. "Can I help the cook with anything? Bacon? Eggs?"

Piper pointed her foot to the dining room table as she simultaneously poured another pancake. "Done and done. You can set the table if you like."

Percy saluted and gave a stern "Yes ma'am" before pulling plates and silverware from the cabinets and drawers. As he was doing that, the front door opened and closed and Hazel stumbled in with tons of bags on her arms. Piper saw Jason and Frank run down the hallway to help only for Hazel to trip and trap the boys under a ton of brand new clothes and shoes.

Piper chuckled and she then heard Annabeth and Nico open the door and not have any space. "Oh come on guys, you couldn't handle a little shopping?"

Jason grumbled. "A little?"

Percy and Piper shared a look as the group in the hallway continued to bicker and untangle themselves and they both laughed softly, finishing breakfast preparations. "I'm going to go get Paul, you good here?"

Piper nodded once before flipping the last blue pancake onto the plate and then turning off the stove. She placed the pancakes on the table and then went into the hallway to scold the children. "Now, place those bags in the living room and sit down for breakfast. We'll have plenty of time to bicker about shopping later, yes?"

Piper didn't mean for there to be a lot of charmspeak in her words, but by the way everyone quieted up and did as she asked, she figured she had laid it on a little thick. She blushed and apologized, ducking back into the kitchen.

Piper sat in silence, eating her food and realizing that everyone else was very quiet. The little spark of normalcy she and Percy shared had died when he started eating. He was picking at his pancakes instead of scarfing them down as fast as possible. He kept looking towards the kitchen door, like he was expecting Sally to run in, possibly from the store with last minute breakfast food. Piper again felt her heart ache. She hated seeing Percy like this, but what could she do?

Soon enough, breakfast was finished. The demigods offered to clean up while Percy and Paul took their showers first. By the time the food had been cleared, Percy was done and Annabeth went next. Soon, everyone had showered and the girls were in the bathroom blow drying their hair and trying to look decent. The boys had disappeared into Percy's room with their clothes to change.

As Piper braided her hair, she looked at Annabeth through the mirror. "Do you think Percy is okay?"

Annabeth continued to scrunch her hair, making her curls tighter and bouncy. She sighed and grabbed a headband and put in her hair. "I think he's accepting what happened, learning that he needs to start moving forward. I don't know if he'll ever be okay though."

Hazel, who was also braiding her hair looked at Annabeth through the mirror. "Why? I know a mother is important, and I know how Percy feels, but I've learned to be okay with my mother's death. But then again, I'm a daughter of Pluto, but you know what I mean."

Annabeth took longer to answer this time, perhaps contemplating what to say or how to say it. But Annabeth finally gave in. "Sally sacrificed so much for Percy. She didn't go to college because she needed to work to put food on the table. She married a repulsive, awful man who abused her and Percy to protect him from the monsters. She sent him to boarding school after boarding school to keep him from monsters, but to prevent him from leaving her and going to camp year round. She gave her blessing for Percy to receive the curse of Achilles. She raised Percy single-handedly, and he is the most amazing man in the world. She was a wonderful woman, and a fantastic mom."

Piper was dumbstruck into silence. She never knew Percy's mom that well, but she certainly didn't know the extent to which she had influenced Percy's life. It was incredible to think about all that Sally had done for her son, and done it alone no less. Piper truly respected Sally Jackson, more than she had before.

Soon, the demigods were gathered in the living room, waiting for Paul and Percy. They were gathering a few things they would need for the service. The girls were all dressed in plain black dresses that were knee length, with black heels. Annabeth and Hazel both had high necklines, and Piper's dress was flowy. The boys all had khaki dress pants, black shoes, white button shirts and black ties. Jason had a black vest on and Frank had a black blazer on.

Piper looked at everyone and couldn't help but think that her mom had done a good job in making everyone look nice and sleek, but also appropriate for the occasion. She looked down the hall and saw Percy and Paul walking down the hallway.

Both wore black slacks and black shoes. Percy was wearing a white button up shirt with a dark blue tie, which was a little disheveled, and a black blazer. Paul was dressed similarly with a black tie. Both men held a small box in their hands, and they wasted no words explaining what was in them. They both headed to the door of the apartment, and Piper followed.

The demigods and Paul piled into the camp van and drove out of the city to Long Island. Piper had talked with Annabeth after Percy and Paul had made the arrangements. Sally was to have a seaside service and then be buried overlooking the sea in Montauk. It had been her favorite location since she was a young woman: she met Poseidon there, she had taken Percy to Montauk every chance she was given, and she even began sharing her secret place with Paul. There was nothing more Sally than Montauk, and to have a service near the place she loved most with the people she loved most was perfect despite the sadness of the occasion.

They pulled up to a cliff overlooking the ocean, and stepped out. A minister was there already, standing next to a fresh pile of dirt and a dark, wooden casket. The front of the casket was open and revealed the face of Sally Jackson. As the demigods gathered around, Piper noticed how smooth and serene Sally's face was, but also the small wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. She was definitely a woman who laughed and smiled more than she frowned. And her hair was still a light shade of brown, with only a small streak of gray here and there. Despite those few wrinkles and gray streaks, she still looked young and full of life. Piper felt a pang in her heart that brought tears to her eyes. Sally Jackson had had so much life left to live, and here she was, dead.

Piper knew death was not going to be uncommon in her life since she became a demigod. She learned that the hard way when Leo died to defeat Gaea. But looking at Sally Jackson made it all seem so surreal. Piper ducked her head and wiped her tears away and looked back at the minister. He was saying something about how death was only the beginning, and that Sally would never really be gone. Piper wanted to snort, considering she'd heard Percy and Annabeth tell stories about the Underworld. She looked over at Nico and saw him roll his eyes, but he kept his mouth shut. He felt the same way she felt.

"Now, I'll have Sally's son, Percy, say a few words before we lay Mrs. Jackson to rest." The minister inclined his head towards Percy and stepped to the side. Piper watched Percy stand in front of his friends and look into their eyes.

Percy chuckled lightly before speaking. "All my life, my mom was always worried about me. She was afraid something would happen to me, and we all know why. And while I always worried about her, I never thought this would happen. When I was twelve, I remember thinking that I had the world figured out based on this simple hypothesis: The best people in this world get the worst luck. My mother lost both of her parents young, dropped out of high school for an uncle who didn't care about her, had a son when she had no high school diploma or college degree; she married an abusive man to protect me, put her life on hold for me." Percy smiled sadly and paused before continuing.

"She was more selfless than any hero I have ever met, and ever will meet. No one will ever compare to my mother. She was kind, and sweet. She worked hard every day of her life and finally found a man who loved and treated her right. Her life was turning around. She saw her ADHD and dyslexic son graduate high school, find the love of his life, survive past his 16th birthday, and she still never worried about herself—she only worried about everyone else. I only wished I could tell her one more time how grateful I am to have her as my mother. To have known the love and adoration she provided me is more than I know a lot of people like me get to know. And I wish she could hear from me one more time just how much I love her. Even though she isn't here, living with me anymore, I will always be proud to be Sally Jackson's son, and I will never forget that. And I hope everyone here remembers just how much she loved you as her children as well. She loved unconditionally, and I will never let that love die."

Percy looked away from his friends after he finished speaking, and wiped his eyes. Piper was sniffling, and rubbed at her eyes furiously, and she noticed the others were as well. Hazel, Frank, Jason, Nico—they were all crying so profusely, and Piper could feel that they were thinking of their own mothers. And Piper saw Annabeth and Paul hugging Percy, knowing the loss of Sally was hitting them full force. She looked again at Sally Jackson's serene face and knew that she would have been comforting them with warm hugs and kind words if she wasn't the reason for their tears. Piper looked away, biting down a sob and she saw a figure standing behind the van.

He was tall, wearing all black, and staring at them with familiar green eyes. His black hair was styled back sleek. He too had tears in his eyes, but he wasn't coming forward to meet the group. Piper suddenly realized it was Poseidon, watching the service from afar. She caught his eyes and too felt his love. Sally Jackson had not just been another mortal woman to Poseidon, and he desperately wanted to join the others. But he knew that he could not interfere, or Zeus would not respect Percy and Paul. Piper nodded to Poseidon, and turned back to the service as the minster finished, and Sally was ready to be lowered into the ground.

Percy and Paul placed the small boxes they had in the Sally's casket, and Piper watched Percy place some golden drachmas in his mother's hands. Nico came forward and closed the casket and mumbled a few words, hopefully a prayer to Hades to have Charon treat Sally with the upmost respect, and then she was lowered into the ground. Percy shed his jacket and loosened his tie and grabbed a shovel. He began filling in Sally's grave on his own. No one moved to help and he didn't ask for anyone to come forward. The group just stood silently together, waiting for Percy to finish what he started.

Before the group left, with the sun sinking lower into the west, Percy placed a bouquet of blue flowers on Sally's grave and looked out over the water. Piper didn't know what she expected to happen. She slipped her hand into Jason's and squeezed, silently asking if she knew what Percy was doing. He shook his head imperceptibly, and Piper continued staring at Percy. Finally, Percy said a quiet, "I love you Mom," and turned away from the sea.

Piper figured it was now time to go. She followed Percy to the van and just as the group got buckled in, it began raining, and the sea was churning. Piper knew Poseidon was responsible for the storm, but she figured he deserved to grieve as well. Nico began driving back into the city one last time, and Piper looked over her shoulder towards Sally's grave to sea Poseidon standing in the middle of his storm, looking down at the flowers Percy had left for her.


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Percy and the gang returned to Camp Half-Blood after dropping Paul off in New York. Paul said he'd be heading to New Jersey to be with his family and not be alone in the home he shared with Sally. Percy understood that feeling—the entire week in the apartment had tortured Percy's heart more than Tartarus. Everything there reminded him of her, and he just couldn't bear another second in that house.

Upon return to camp, Percy could tell that the other campers were avoiding him and sending him pity looks. Percy didn't want anyone's pity, but he understood that everyone was just trying to be kind. He spent more time teaching sword play lessons and walked the beach when he wasn't teaching. He hardly ate anything at meal times and would lay awake at night in his bunk. He could tell Annabeth and the others wanted to talk to him, but what could they say?

Percy now saw the world in shades of grey with elongating shadows and smothered sounds. It reminded Percy of when he was twelve years old and had just arrived to camp. He thought his mother was dead, and the world had lost its beauty. And now, the same feeling coursed through Percy's veins and no magical words his friends could say would make that feeling go away. Despite the bright colors and life of the day, Percy felt none of it. He could only feel the sadness of his mother's death, and the angry revenge he wanted to deal out.

The Minotaur was sent by someone to hurt his mother. Whoever sent the Minotaur was going to pay, but at the moment, Percy had no leads. He could only stew in his sadness and anger. He wanted to move on, to live the life he knows his mother would want for him. But he could feel himself being consumed with a feeling of vengeance and unending anger.

Percy sighed audibly as he looked out over the ocean. He had just finished a session and was standing on the beach, staring at the blue waters. He felt less sad at the ocean. It was where he and his mother spent a lot of his childhood, and he could almost hear her voice when he stood there, like when little kids listen to conch shells trying to hear the ocean. He could hear her saying, "Percy, don't go out too far!" and hear her laughing as a wave would push them playfully back to shore. He felt like he was closer to his mother in these small moments.

Percy was so consumed in his thoughts he didn't hear Annabeth walk up beside him. "Percy."

Her voice had been soft, but not in a pitying or broken way. Just soft in volume and fierceness. "It hurts. And I don't know how to handle it."

Annabeth didn't say what others had been telling him: that is gets easier, that it's okay to feel this way. Percy had been hearing that for years when he'd lost friends: Bianca, Beckendorf, Michael Yew, Silena, Luke, Bob, Damasen. He felt responsible, and he had felt this way before, but now with his mother, the feeling was intensified. He was the reason his mother had been targeted, and now he couldn't handle the emotions that came with that.

Annabeth slipped her hand into Percy's and tugged him to look at her. He met her grey eyes and could see that she understood what he needed. She squeezed his hand and took a deep breath. "I'm here for you." It was simple, short, and yet it made the hurt subside, even if he knew it would come back. Percy nodded and broke eye contact, looking out over the ocean.

"Annabeth, when I find who did it, they don't stand a chance." It sounded eerie coming out of Percy's mouth, but it was the truth. It took a few seconds for Annabeth to contemplate her response, but she finally answered.

"I'll stand by you, Percy. I will support you." Annabeth's pause was enough for Percy to hear her warning. "Do not lose yourself though. Sally wouldn't want you sacrificing who you are at your core for revenge. Especially revenge over her."

Percy opened his mouth to retort, but Annabeth continued. "Someone is trying to prod you into a battle, or a war. There is no getting around that. But do not lose yourself."

Percy thought before responding. "It's all I feel. This anger, the unfairness."

Annabeth nodded. "It's okay to feel that way. Like I said, I'm here for you. But don't be a Seaweed Brain."

Percy cracked a small smile at the use of his nickname. Again, a little ray of light broke into his grey world. He still felt the anger and guilt and all the negative feelings, and he doubted they would resolve immediately. But Annabeth was helping show him the good again. He pulled Annabeth into a hug, squeezing her tightly. She squeezed back.

"I love you, Percy."

Percy tightened his hold on Annabeth. He felt more of his darkness crack. "I love you Annabeth."

And they pulled apart, sharing a smile. Annabeth leaned forward and left a light kiss on Percy's lips, her smile growing at seeing the light returning to Percy's eyes. She gently tugged his hand and they began walking the beach, back towards camp. It wasn't perfect yet, but grieving was a process. Percy was getting there. He just needed time.

He looked over his shoulder once more and thought he saw Sally standing there, smiling at him. He blinked and she was gone, but he still felt her presence. He smiled a little wider and continued to follow Annabeth. He would make it. It would get better, it was just going to take time.

 **Thanks to all the favorites, follows, and reviews! I intend for this to be a prequel to a longer story I'm planning on writing. It won't be up for a while (I like to write my stories to completion before uploading them) but I hope to have it up soon! Leave a review on your thoughts! ~Writer-at-Heart01**


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